L.A. Lakers or Detorid Pistons???

[Rei1781]

Originally posted by Vicious

Pippen, IMO is the hardest person to find a substitute for. He was an all star virtually every season, and was on he dream team as well. I think it is safe to say that he was one of the top 5 players in the league for a good 5 year stretch in there. He could handle the ball, create his own shot, did not mind being the 2nd option, and could defend any position on the court. There is noone in the league like him. Most equal person to fill in for him would be TMac I'd say. He has better offense than Pippen, but his defense is nowhere near as good.
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Before I make my long winded opinion I will state my team..I'm a Nj Nets fan..been a Nj Nets fan all my life..I'm 22 so I've seen my fair share of basketball, including the 80s style of basektball which is crompletely different from the style of basketball that is going on today...Anyway, I have been following this arguement from the beginning but some of the statements here are great but some are just riddiculous..Sometimes..It's just too difficult to compare players..MJ is MJ..No matter how much you hate the guy he still is the best...Kobe I dont think realize how easy he has it..He has Shaq..I can't name someone as dominate as Shaq in my lifetime ( yes, I know im only 22 but hey I cant say Wilt right )..The guy is pretty much guaranteeing you an attempt at 2 pts whenever he feels like playing hard or coming to shape to play basketball that year..Only thing that can stop him is Hack-a-Shaq...Shaq FT% is about 50% and he's a carrer 27.0 ppg so if he had maybe a FT% of 70% then he could add 2 pts a game to his career ppg...Another thing the officials barely even call 3 in the Key on Shaq which makes it even easier for him to score..Kobe and MJ both have egos..Kobe demands a trade on draft day and hasn't even taken one jumpshot against legitimate competiton..Mike complains on how the Wizards suck midseason which to me was completely classless (yes, I recall the game he scored 40 on the Nets as a Wizard)..As for Coaches...I'm not going to sit here and say that Phil Jackson is an awesome coach or anything like that because he is just getting outcoached and exposed badly this series...Larry Brown will win this series and Phil Jackson can whistle all he wants and make his little triangles but it's not happening this time..The Pistons have "Rip"..People that have followed him since UConn can tell you the buy is a winner...He beat Duke by himself..Duke had 5 future NBA players (Elton Brand, Corey Magette, etc) You could counteraruge the comment that Kobe is better because he is playing in an era in which zone is legal but someone could say to you..How many Great Centers are their in the NBA right now that Kobe plays against? Personally, IMO I think Scotty is one of the most overated players in NBA history..He's not even in the top 30 all time stats in anything except for steals in which he is currently number 3..He's never taken a clutch shot in his life and used to get away with many reach in fouls (ask any NY Knick fan and he will tell you)...I would rather pick Robert Horry on my team than Scotty..I think they have the same amount of rings as well...Ironically, they play very similiar but I just never could stomcach Scotty..I always felt he was O.R. and proved it may times after the post Jordan era as many of the other Chicago Bull players (Weddington, Caffey, Longly, etc) have except for Kukoc maybe being the only exception...Also, making the dream team IMO doesn't mean much because the Olympics used to be about sending athletes that weren't professional to play overseas..now I think its pretty much a marketing scheme to get people to watch the NBA..Their ratings drop every year and even the Indy 500 did better than the playoffs...If I had to pick a modern player to compare him to maybe Lamar Odom rather T-Mac..I could go on this topic forever if given a chance too